Our Choice
by Kitty S
Summary: What if Sam and Jack had decided to go through with Anise's procedure?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Our Choice 1- the decision   
Author: Kitty S   
Email: dorqiekat@yahoo.com   
Category: AlternateUniverse, Angst, Hurt/Comfort   
Episode related: 405 Divide and Conquer   
Season: Season 4   
Pairing: Sam/Jack   
Rating: PG   
Warnings: none   
Summary: What if Sam and Jack had decided to go through with Anise's procedure?   
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s). 


	2. Part 1

Martouf walked down the corridor with Sam by his side and couple of SF's. It took some arguing, but in the end, she had agreed to Anise's procedure. "What about the Colonel?" she asked looking up. "Doctor Jackson is with him right now giving him the choices."   
  
"Some choice." She said ruefully.  
  
Martouf turned, before walking into the observation room where the procedure would be held, and took her hand in his. "Though I may not always agree with Anise, I have every hope that this would work." She merely nodded, and watched him strap her into the seat. Sam was starting to really think this out, either be a prisoner for god knows how long, OR, go through the procedure and maybe lose her mind. Well, those weren't the best odds she would have asked for, but she was more against the whole sleeping idea.   
  
She closed her eyes briefly, and nodded. Anise activated the device and Sam's vision blurred. She grunted against the pain in her head and thrashed in her seat, before letting out a strained scream, she collapsed into the seat.   
  
"The procedure is done." Anise informed, as Martouf got the unconscious major into his arms. "Did it work?" he asked as he walked towards the infirmary.   
  
"We won't know until she wakes."   
  
*  
  
"What does Carter say about this?"   
  
"Sam decided to go through with the procedure; she's with Anise as we speak." Daniel informed.   
  
"Oh"   
  
"Jack, there might not be a safer way for a very long time." He pressed.  
  
"I know."   
  
"That's a long time for you to be playing sleeping beauty."   
  
"I know."   
  
He tried again, "Jack…"  
  
"I'll do it."   
  
*  
  
End Part 1 


	3. Part 2

Sam slowly awoke, blinking her eyes. Her vision cleared and she stared straight into the brown eyes of her friend and doctor. Did it work? She tired to work out her mouth to form the words, but her jaw was slack. The only thing coming out of her lips were incoherent moans, and she heard it with her own ears. She couldn't speak. She tried to lift her limbs, but they too were heavy and flaccid.   
  
Janet slipped her friend some sedatives before dashing to the observation room. As fast as she could, she ran and knocked on the window. "Stop!" she panted. "It didn't work" she whispered. Through the glass Janet saw the colonel and nodded.   
  
Jack closed his eyes and swore inwardly. Why did she have to go first? By the time Teal'c undid the straps to his wrists and ankles Janet had walked back down. "I'm so sorry." Her eyes were full of compassion. "You!" Jack turned, and pointed his finger to Martouf. "You told her," he choked. "you told her that she'd be okay."  
  
"There was a chance that the procedure would not work, and I informed her of this." He defended.   
  
Jack looked away, closing his eyes. Showing the most emotion anyone had seen. "Wait," Janet announced. "retest him."   
  
"For what reason?" asked Anise.  
  
"Just… trust me, trust me." She walked the colonel back to the chair he was occupying earlier. "Doc?" She strapped him back in. "Sir, you're not a za'tarc."   
  
"How do ya know?"   
  
"When you didn't leave Sam, are you sure there wasn't something else that you're not admitting?"   
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Something neither one of you can admit given your working relationship, and military ranks..."   
  
"OH!... oh, that…"   
  
"Sir, you weren't telling the whole truth, and that's why the machine said you were lying."   
  
"Really?"  
  
"Retest him."   
  
*  
  
Janet smiled as she walked toward the couple sitting on the infirmary bed with their legs crossed playing tic-tac-toe. Sam was getting better, and by better it meant that she has finally accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be the same ever again. The Air Force Major walks with a heavy limp, and can't even draw her X's straight when playing tic-tac-toe. Her speech is no better, without a trained ear, you wouldn't even know the words coming out of Sam's mouth were words, rather deep moans and grunts. It took a while, but Sam was coping and had come to terms of her new challenge. With Jack around, she began the smile more, relax more.   
  
After the retesting of the za'tarc incident, Jack had realized his feelings for Sam was deeper than he thought. He vowed to Sam that he'd never leave her side, but only received her dinner thrown upon his face. Though Sam was impaired with her speech and movement, she was still Sam Carter inside. And that Sam Carter clearly expressed that she did not need a babysitter, only the person she loved. And Jack gladly took that job.   
  
When the pencil broke under the pressure of Sam's unsteady hand for the third time, she threw it across the room. Clearly evident she was frustrated; Jack kissed her on the forehead and Sam just whined and pushed him away and typed onto her laptop. //Can't you see that I'm pissed?//  
  
"Baby I do, but you can't let little things like that get to you." He leaned over to her again, caressing her cheek. She pushed him away again.   
  
//They're not little things Jack, I can't even hold a pencil. A child can control that pencil better than I can. Whatever, were going home today and all I want to do is get out of here. I hate the way people look at me here.//  
  
"How do people look at you?"   
  
//You know how they look at me.//  
  
Jack sighed and got off the bed and stretched. "I'm going to tell Janet that we're taking off." It was going to be trying restoring Sam's confidence.   
  
End part 2 


	4. Part 3

***  
  
As months went by Sam improved dramatically, she had gained back most of her mobility on her right side and started to actually have conversations with Jack in lieu of her computer. And with Jacks help she took the steps to go outside of her home and ventured out into the world she left behind. Jack sat on the blanket he laid on the green grass that afternoon watching Sam play with the dog he had gotten her a while back.   
  
He remembered it so clearly; he walked down the isle of the pet store and saw the cutest chocolate colored Labrador puppy. He purchased the dog, and tied a ribbon to its tail and brought it home to Sam. She was sitting on the piano bench when he walked into the house, playing with only one hand, the classical ensemble sounding incomplete. Her head was resting on the top of the piano, he knew then that she had been crying.   
  
"Sam, come out here for a minute please? I want to show you something." He left the house before she could protest, knowing that she'd follow he unloaded the overexcited puppy from the car.   
  
Couple seconds later, he saw Sam limping out the door. Her eyes lighting up at the sight of the little dog chasing its own tail which was decorated with a bright red ribbon. "Oh Jack, he's adorable." Sam gave Jack a quick kiss before sitting on the lawn with a bright smile. The dog leaped into Sam's lap, looking at her straight into her eyes. She patted the puppy's head and reached for the tag that was in the shape of a bone. "Max," She read. "Hi there little Max."   
  
After some intense training with Jack, Max became the smartest, most well behaved five month old dog in the neighborhood. He had seen it as more of a necessary than convenience; he didn't want an accident rising because of a hyper dog running around the house. Especially when Sam has difficulty walking. In the end it all came through, Jack had always had that special connection with canines.   
  
Looking up at Sam playing catch with Max made Jack feel happiness rather than guilt, he had been feeling guilty for what had happened to Sam for so long, it strained their relationship. A lot has happened in the last few months that was hard on them, one of them being the order Hammond had received on Sam's medical discharge. She took it well, but he knew she was hurting. All she said was that she knew it was going to happen soon or later.   
  
"Hello? Earth to Jack… hey! Can you hear me?"   
  
Jack shook his head and blinked, "Sorry, I was gone there for a minute." Sam sat by him with a sigh, and leaned her head against his shoulders. "I've been watching you; you've sitting here the whole time staring straight ahead for the longest time. What's up? Anything bothering you?"   
  
"Nothing, just thinking." He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her down to his lap where she rested. "Sam, what do you think of me retiring?" She opened her eyes to look into his, "Are you sure you can live without knowing what's happening in the SGC? Wondering if we've made any more allies, met more enemies…"   
  
He breathed in deeply, "Would you rather have me gone for days at a time?" he took her hand in his rubbing it slightly. "Just, think about it some more OK?" she pleaded, Sam was coping with the fact that she wasn't in the Air Force anymore and that she wont be working at the SGC, she just didn't want him to give it up either. He then leaned down to kiss her when he was rudely interrupted by Max slobbering on her face first.   
  
"Hey! Get your own girlfriend!"   
  
Hearing Sam giggle, it would be worth it, he thought. It wasn't worth the risk of going off world if he wasn't going to see her beautiful face ever again.   
  
***  
  
End part 3. 


End file.
